Li-ion batteries: news, progress, history and background

Disclosed are a non-aqueous electrolyte solution for a lithium secondary battery and a lithium secondary battery comprising the same. The non-aqueous electrolyte solution for a lithium secondary battery may include difluorotoluene having a lowest oxidation potential among components of the non-aqueous electrolyte solution. The lithium secondary battery may have improvement in basic performance including high rate charge/discharge characteristics, cycle life characteristics, and the like, and may remarkably reduce swelling caused by decomposition of an electrolyte solution under high voltage conditions such as overcharge. Inventors: Jong-Ho Jeon, Yong-Gon Lee, Seung-Woo Chu, Shul-Kee Kim, Hyun-Yeong Lee, Jae-Deok Jeon Application number: 13/164,107 Publication number: US 2011/0244339 A1 Filing date: Jun 20, 2011 Related articles Fluoride shuttle increases storage capacity: Researchers develop new concept for rechargeable batteries (sciencedaily.com) Fluoride shuttle ...

Well-dispersed bi-component-active CoO/CoFe2O4 nanocomposites with tunable performances as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries : Chem. Commun. , 2012, Advance Article DOI : 10.1039/C1CC15322F, Communication Meixia Li, Ya-Xia Yin, Congju Li, Fazhi Zhang, Li-Jun Wan, Sailong Xu, David G. Evans CoO/CoFe 2 O 4 nanocomposites, calcined from hydrotalcite precursors, exhibit tunable cycle performances and rate capabilities underlain by well-dispersed bi-component active phases. To cite this article before page numbers are assigned, use the DOI form of citation above. The content of this RSS Feed (c) The Royal Society of Chemistry (Via RSC - Chem. Commun. latest articles ) Related articles Graphene nanocomposite a bridge to better batteries (sciencedaily.com) Scientists Discover Promising Experimental Nanocomposite Fire Retardant (azonano.com) Graphene-based nanocomposite to boost battery performance (news.bioscholar.com) NaturalNano Receives Allowance for Crucia...

Porous SnO2/layered titanate nanohybrid with enhanced electrochemical performance for reversible lithium storage : Chem. Commun. , 2012, Advance Article DOI : 10.1039/C1CC14769B, Communication Joo-Hee Kang, Seung-Min Paek, Jin-Ho Choy Porous heterostructure of SnO 2 -layered titanate nanohybrid has been synthesized via an exfoliation/reassembling process. This hybridization gives rise to a remarkable enhancement of discharge capacity with a good capacity retention. To cite this article before page numbers are assigned, use the DOI form of citation above. The content of this RSS Feed (c) The Royal Society of Chemistry (Via Science JournalFeeds ) Related articles Researching graphene nanoelectronics for a post-silicon world Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute researchers use supercomputer to study effects of stacking graphene nanoribbons (nanotech-now.com)

Sumitomo earlier reported that it has achieved energy densities as high as 290 Wh/L with the new battery. A drawback to the general class of molten salt batteries (e.g., the ZEBRA battery , or GE’s Durathon sodium-metal halide batteries, earlier post) has been the need for high operating temperatures to keep the salt molten. Being non-volatile and non-flammable , and with high ion concentrations, molten salt makes an excellent battery electrolyte and can offer high energy and power densities. In a joint project with Kyoto University , Sumitomo developed a molten salt with a melting point as low as 57 °C. Using this salt, it developed the new molten-salt electrolyte battery. Since it comprises only nonflammable materials, the new battery will not ignite on contact with air from outside, nor is there thermal runaway from overcharging or temperature rises in the battery. For this reason, Sumitomo says, there is no need for waste-heat storage or fire- and explosion-proof equipment, so ...

One of the most important decisions facing designers of plug-in electric or hybrid vehicles is related to battery choice. Now, researchers at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) have used a life cycle analysis to examine three vehicle battery types to determine which does the best job of powering the vehicle while causing the least amount of environmental impact during its production .... The researchers were surprised to find that except for ozone depletion potential, the NiMH battery performed significantly worse than the two Li-ion batteries for all impact categories. The researchers attributed this difference to the greater use phase efficiency of Li-ion relative to NiMH, and the fact that each kilogram of Li-ion battery is expected to store between 2 to 3 times more energy than the other battery types over the course of its lifetime. ... Batteries for the future

Bendy batteries a step closer 25 February 2011 Scientists from Korea have found that with the use of graphene nanosheets, the fabrication of bendable power sources is possible.  Electronic devices are no longer confined to the home or office. We travel with them, carry them around and even wear them. To make equipment like roll-up displays and wearable devices achievable, the power source that supplies them must also become more flexible.  The major challenge of developing a truly bendable power source has been the shortage of material that is both highly flexible and has superior electronic conductivity. Polymers are typically used, but they can degrade at relatively low temperatures, which makes them less than ideal.  Kisuk Kang from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology in Daejon, and colleagues, have developed a graphene based hybrid electrode producing a flexible lithium rechargeable battery. The cathode material, in this case V2O5, is grown on graphene paper usi...

One of the means that electrically powered vehicles used to maximize their range is regenerative braking where the kinetic energy of the vehicle is recaptured during deceleration and than released during acceleration. The problem is that most batteries can't absorb energy quickly enough to capture all the available energy. This is where capacitors have an advantage since they can absorb energy a lot faster than batteries and do it a lot more times. Unfortunately the total energy capacity is limited, which also limits their usefulness. While a lithium ion battery pack could contain enough energy to drive a vehicle a couple of hundred miles, an ultra-capacitor pack would be lucky to get a few miles.   Original post

New Pillared Graphene Material Offers Enhanced Hydrogen Storage; Close to DOE Target 1 October 2008 Volumetric hydrogen uptake for graphene (diamonds), (6,6) carbon nanotubes (squares), pillared material (triangles), and Li-doped pillared (stars) at (a) 77 K and (b) 300 K. Click to enlarge. Credit: ACS Researchers at the University of Crete (Greece) have designed a novel 3-D network nanostructure that almost meets the US Department of Energy (DOE) 2010 volumetric goals for hydrogen storage. The new pillared graphene material could theoretically store up to 41 grams of hydrogen per liter under ambient conditions; the DOE’s target is 45 g/L. Their study is scheduled for the 8 October issue of the ACS journal Nano Letters . Georgios K. Dimitrakakis, Emmanuel Tylianakis, and George E. Froudakis designed a unique structure consisting of parallel graphene sheets—layers of carbon just one atom thick—stabilized by vertical columns of carbon nanotubes (CNTs). The nanoporous material has by desi...